Magnetic Magazine’s Guest Podcast and Interview: Multi Culti

"Music to trip to. Music to meditate on. Music to heal the world. Music to upgrade your DNA. Music to teach you. MUSIC TO MULTIPLY YOUR MIND.” This is how Thomas Von Party and Angus Gruzman (Gus) describe the label they have created that is inspired by the very nexus of the genre. Motivated by the sounds of Eno, Cage, Gary Numan, Tangerine Dream, Acid House and Detroit Techno, these guys created Multi Culti, a label that caters to the left of center fans of electronic music. These guys know their nerd sounds, big time.

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We found a moment to catch up with the lads behind Multi Culti and convince them to lay down a guest podcast and answer some questions. Enjoy.

Tell us a little bit about how the label came to be?

T) Gus and I had both been running labels for years. We had been talking a lot, making smoothies together, enjoying a budding friendship and basically I think we were both feeling that there was a change in the air around us…whereas for years there had been an easy synchronicity between the music we were excited about and what the hordes of club and festival goers were into, we began to drift away with our ideals (thankfully). Multi Culti is an all-inclusive vibe that, despite the slightly goofy name, represents the mature version of our musical selves. It embraces multiplicity, both in terms of the obvious, multicultural influences, but also a range in tempo, in energy, in ambition, from the weirdest of interludes to more extreme psychedelic experimentalism, to epic sunrise poolside.

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G) What T said, except he forget to mention that the smoothies were actually VEGAN non GMO Gluten free - and that is why the relationship was able to bloom. Otherwise we would have been sad and angry and full of sweet sweet sweet sugar.

How is it working on two different continents?

T) It's great to have a base in more than one place. Also nice to have somewhere to go to escape Montreal winters. The time difference makes for some odd Skype meetings, but it barely makes a difference. We're all always online.

G) I made the move to Montreal last year to flex out my BBQ skills on the locals and learn some ‘imitation’ French to use on future journeys around the wine regions of the Southern states of America where the real french people dwell.

What are your feelings on the electronic music scene in the USA and where do you think it’s headed?

T) I wouldn't count myself an expert, but I think the globally proven formula of drugs + drops has led to a massive cultural shift. I guess the interesting thing is to see where the 'EDM' generation turns their attention musically, after they move on from Martin Garrix or whoever. Collective burnout could lead to an explosion in chillout music and maybe we'll become massive - who knows!

G) It’s probably headed down to Australia real soon. I heard some magpies singing the hook for latest Clavin Harris jam the other morning while I was feeding my wombat. He, and I, were none too impressed. The serenity was tainted.

In a world of copy cat producers and ghost production what are the elements in a track that make you say “I’m going to sign this!” ?

T) That's always hard to describe... people quote the french and say a song has that certain 'je ne sais quoi,' which translates, literally, to 'I know not what' - utterly meaningless...point being, I have no idea. It has to sound good, make you feel good, not be exactly like something else.

G) It’s gotta sound like maple syrup in your ears.

Do you plan on starting sub labels for different genres?

T) I think between Multi Culti and Turbo I've got it covered.

G) I’ve already been flexing out some new cuts for the ‘Folk-no Hypno-delica’ series that will see the likes of new signees ‘Cotton-Foot Tony’ and ‘Mushroom Mike 2.0’ make their debuts.